Goal #99) Visit Disney World
August 7, 2010 8 Comments
When I wrote out my list of goals, originally Goal #99 was to ”Visit Disneyland”. Realistically, though, it didn’t make any difference whether I visited Disneyland in California or Disney World in Florida. Actually, the goal should have been more specific since I wasn’t so much interested in visiting Disney as I was in watching the fireworks at Magic Kingdom. That was the precise moment I had always envisioned when thinking about this goal.
A couple of months ago I booked a flight to Orlando so that I could witness a space shuttle launch, Goal #98 on The List. No more than a week later the launch was postponed and rescheduled, leaving me and Erin with a couple of options. Either we could cancel our tickets for a $150 fee (each ticket) and reschedule the flight for a later date or we could fly to Orlando as planned and visit Disney World instead of the Kennedy Space Center.
Orlando it was!
I’ve been to Florida once before, in January, during the coldest stretch of weather since 1927!!! This time I got to experience Florida while breaking records on the other end of the thermometer. It was HOT!
Our first day in Orlando was at Disney World, officially completing Goal #99. We rode some rides, took too many pictures of the Magic Kingdom and tried our best to beat the heat. When it was time for the fireworks, we may have had the best seat in the entire park, right across the street from the Magic Kingdom. We picked out our spot two hours before the fireworks started. Even though this may seem like a long time – and it was - when the fireworks started, the last thing on my mind was how long I’d been waiting for this moment!
To say that the fireworks were amazing would be an insult to Disney. They were INCREDIBLE!!! I’ve seen fireworks all over the country, from Hawaii to Philadelphia and nothing, NOTHING!, compares to the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. It was everything I could have ever imagined and more.
We spent the next day at Sea World riding rollercoasters and drinking lots of water! We went to three different shows; dolphins, seals and Shamu Rocks. Seeing what these animals are capable of fills me with a mixture of confused emotions. At the same time I was filled with wonder and amazement, I found myself saddened and frustrated about how we treat the world and the creatures we share it with. I couldn’t help but think about what we are doing to the dolphins around the world. While sailing along the Na Pali coast in Hawaii, a pod of dolphins swam along our boat, jumping and spinning in the air. They were so trusting and fearless. It makes me sick knowing that such disgusting and pointless destruction of life is occurring around the globe and its frustrating how little we seem to care as a global community.
I’m going to buck the standard personal finance advice, as it seems that many financial bloggers out there like to slam Disney and the like as being overpriced. Disney and Sea World are incredible places to visit and I felt like the memories I will have and the service I received while there was above and beyond what I could have expected. The staff at both of the parks works tirelessly to make sure that the people in the parks have a fun and enjoyable vacation. What I received in service and smiles was beyond the ticket price I paid to get into the parks. The fireworks at Disney were priceless and the shows at Sea World are now fond memories I will carry with me for a long while.
The value of money is measured by your return on investment and, for me, the trip to Orlando was worth every penny!
About Steven
I think that visiting Disney every year (or more) is expensive. Visiting to get the experience and adding those memories is worth every penny.
Experiences > Stuff.
I went to Disney World for the first time when I was 22 and loved it. I spent a whole week there and I liked EPCOT the most. I want to go back to the area to visit Universal for the roller coasters. Yeah, its expensive, but like you said, you have great memories, and Disney has a great business model-every theme park should be more like them.
@Kevin: I think it depends, really, on how a person defines “expensive”. If you are able to continue receiving enjoyment on annual trips to Disney and the experience isn’t diminished, you’re getting your money worth. I do agree though that experiences are much greater than Stuff! :)
@Jessica: We never made it to any of the other parks, so we will probably be going back to Orlando someday to check them out. Depending on how things work out with the upcoming shuttle launch and my academic schedule, maybe we’ll be able to fit something in.
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A man after my own heart – I LOVE DISNEYWORLD, I went last summer and the summer before (quite a struggle considerings I live in England so just the flights are the price of a 2 week sunshine holiday) but It’s so so worth it. The type of holiday where every day you feel like you’re in a different place, and you can have a million different experiences (and cross of some bucket list stuff too)
You’re right, no other firework show compares to the one at Disney! And i’m totally with you on the dolphon front – we need to wake up!
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